Hanoi, Vietnam

Monday 6th July

Our day started with a trip to the gym and a visit to the pool before heading to breakfast.

We eventually wandered out of the hotel and picked up two cycles to take us to the northern section of the Old Quarter. Our plan was to pick up the trail of the Lonely Planet Walking Tour that we didn’t get to finish yesterday. That said, as we travelled along, I wondered if our travel insurance would cover out risk-taking cycle tour. Enough said. The day was overcast but dry as we wandered the narrow lanes in the humidity. The streets again changed from ‘toy’ lined to ‘blacksmith’ to ‘tin ware’ then to ‘cooking utensils’ and so on. The name of each Pho, or lane, is indicative of a particular type of good on sale. We bought a few wall hangings for the house and, now, I just need to organise a few more walls. Mark was annoyed that we had obviously paid too much for one of these items as the vendors ended up giving us bottles of water, a necklace for Tom and an extra ornamental bag for me. We retired to a café for a light lunch so we could rest our feet and restore Mark’s mood with some local beer. From there we headed back to a massage centre where Tom and I had a foot massage and Mark had a back massage. We all felt sufficiently refreshed to attempt the walk back to the hotel. It’s not so much the walking but it’s the crossing the roads that takes its toll on you.

A lazy late afternoon will again be followed by a simple dinner in the Lounge of the hotel.